Open Mike 05/10/2026

Written By: notices and features - Date published: - 113 comments
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113 comments on “Open Mike 05/10/2026”

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  1. 1

    Fascinating to see Mayor Brown of Auckland come out so hard against the Mill Road project.

    Someone has to do some exploring about how necessarythe entire Mill Road full extent is to Sunfield by National donors the Meehans and their very close ties to the Todd family,

    https://winton.nz/our-neighbourhoods/sunfield/location/

    and to the Stevenson family for Drury South:

    https://www.drurysouthcrossing.co.nz/

    … and not a single shred of public transport design in Mill Road as far as the eye can see.

    2. 1.2

      I think 4-lane roads anywhere in NZ are a luxury we can't afford until we have a functioning public health service and nobody living in poverty.

      2. 1.2.2

        “until we have a functioning public health service and nobody living in poverty.”
        I agree, however…

        Everytime I drive Te Ahu A Turanga (Ashhurst-Woodville or Manawatu gorge replacement road) I marvel at the vistas, am grateful for the smooth and relatively quick journey and am still awestruck (after 20 years of being around them) by the Te Apiti wind turbines.

        No more new highways in other areas.

        Although it will be great if they could finish Te Pae o Tararua (Otaki to North of Levin) maximising the impact of Transmission Gully.

        Then definitely no new roads…

        https://youtu.be/uX2aryQJYyQ?si=fHOOQeuQWiLgPChO

        2. 1.2.2.2

          I'm not arguing against improving existing roads, especially crappy junctions, potholes, more roundabouts, central barriers, more passing places, better signage, replacing one- lane bridges, sealing dirt roads etc etc

          Billions could be spent on these alone, and on public transport, BEFORE we build 4-lane highways.

          1. 1.2.2.2.1

            Hi BG. You probably seen this (maybe not on The Herald, but shows aye? : )

            IMO, Forward and Future Looking for NZ

            Election 2026: Green Party transport policy sees free travel for children, $2 adult fares, light rail for key cities

            The Green policy would “unclog our roads and free up wallets” with mass rapid transit, free travel for kids, students, Community Service Card holders, Total Mobility users and a maximum $2 fare for everyone else”.

            The Greens will also target longer trips by promoting greater use of existing rail lines.

            “We will deliver overnight passenger rail from Auckland to Wellington, bring back the Southerner between Christchurch and Dunedin, extend Te Huia to Tauranga, and strengthen rural bus services. These practical projects keep people connected and give everyone the ability to explore our beautiful country,” Swarbrick said.

            Green Party Transport spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter said underinvestment in public transport had left our cities harder to get around without a car.

            https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/green-party-transport-policy-free-travel-for-children-and-2-adult-fares-light-rail-for-key-cities/W4OUFTFYNFAY5MME5FNIOSRIJA/

            Onya Chloe, Marama and all ! You got my heart and mind : )

            1. 1.2.2.2.1.1

              I would love to be able to jump on a train and have a weekend in wellington or Auckland, cars are a pain, and parking is expensive in incity motels,

              I reckon you would see a massive leap in city visits from us yokals south of the Bombay and north of paraparaumu

        3. 1.2.2.3

          This wind farm? Written exactly 14 years ago! I too was struck by them…..

          Apiti Wind Farm 5-7 October 2012

          Long light lingers in from the west

          Illumining green hills in clear glow-

          Blades of countless turbines spin above

          In the unfelt wind; a Calvary

          Of crosses against the sky,

          Three point stars for crossbars, rotating;

          A modern Golgotha

          Of white sky-bound bones.

            1. 1.2.2.3.1.1

              No, never saw that, but I have seen this…..

              "Just above the ridge two towers poke

              Their nacelles and axis; two spokes of each

              Backstroking with straight arms,

              Synchronised swimmers in unison.

              Slowly they lose their rhythm

              And one falls off the pace

              Limping like an old arthritic

              With stick and rickety hip."

              Poetry and wonder in technology, eh?

          2. 1.2.2.3.2

            That's lovely mac.

            I love how the light is always different on those turbines and hills. True for any environment but it is strikingly obvious looking towards the Puketoi range east, Ruahine running north and the Tararua heading south.

            It may not be 20 years since the Te Apiti farm went in but there have been turbines up there for more than 20 years.

        4. 1.2.2.4

          "No More new roads"?

          Except the one to my place?

          Which is how we end up with all the "roads of (National party funding from the roading lobby) significance" !

      1. 1.3.1

        The pertinent quote.

        “$1.75 billion is an idiotic sum to fix three intersections,” Brown said, adding that the “successful dynamic lane should be extended, but building a new four-lane road full of traffic lights isn’t the answer”.

        “This wasn’t in the Auckland Deal and it’s not in the 30-year plan so National just can’t do that, especially as the Government has just thrown $3b out the window on the unjustified motorway from Warkworth to Te Hana.”

        Brown said National “should focus more” on projects where there is “strong agreement” between the Government and Council, such as level crossings and the Northwest Busway.

  2. 2

    Had a go with TVNZ's Vote Compass. It decided I'm better suited to voting Labour than Green, due to my "conservative views" – said allegedly "conservative" views presumably being where I chose "Yes, only women should be allowed to compete in women's sports," "No, sexual preferences shouldn't be taught in primary schools" and "Yes there is currently too much immigration."

    To me, those aren't "conservative" views, they're "not a sucker for batshit-crazy, queer-theory lunacy" views. But such are the times we live in, I suppose. I'll remain a Green voter that happens to disagree with the party on a few things.

    2. 2.2

      "Yes, only women should be allowed to compete in women's sports"

      In the USA this statement would be taken to mean the inclusion of transgender women.

      1. 2.2.1

        the question in the compass thingy was clear it meant biological women. I think we can take it as a given that PM meant that too.

      2. 2.2.2

        "These Americans are crazy," as an ancient Frenchman would say. The original question wasn't the same as my paraphrasing, but the phrase "women who were assigned female at birth" is such a ridiculous word salad I feel stupid repeating it.

      3. 2.2.3

        The wordin un vote compass definitely defines a woman as biological at birth .

        I agree no penisses or ex punishment owners in woman's sport,

        And no sexula preferences in primary,

        I was neutral on immigration

    3. 2.3

      I am with you on the first two but the "assignment at birth" statement showed their capture by Gender Ideology so I therefore had no faith at all in any of their other measurements

      1. 2.3.1

        Agree. I got about slightly left of GP and slightly more progressive than Labour. The Vote Compass pretty much aligns me with TPM, even it says my most preferred leader is Swarbrick with Davidson close behind, followed by Hipkins then TPM leaders.

        The Vote Compass puts Opp slightly left of centre, but slightly to the right of Labour and a bit progressive but less so than Labour.

    4. 2.4

      To be fair PM, the questions are actually worded "Only women who were assigned female at birth should be allowed to compete in women's sports." and "The primary school curriculum should include lessons about sexual orientation."

      Neither which constitute batshit crazy queer ideology.

      I certainly am very comfortable with my 3-year-old growing up in a world where she'll learn that there are many different ways that people can love: including her gay Aunties and Uncles.

      1. 2.4.1

        They can do most of it by noting that society includes same sex couples, sometimes as parents – under different families, as per sole parent and blended families.

      2. 2.4.2

        the batshit crazy ideology said males should be allowed to compete in women's sports.

        Teaching kids about the full range of sexual orientation matters a lot. It needs to be age appropriate. It also needs to be done separately from gender identity ideology, because most people are sex realist. If we'd paid more attention to that we wouldn't be having such a big conservative backlash and anti-gay rhetoric would have remained the domain of Family First and Tamaki.

        1. 2.4.2.1

          I just tried to find the current curriculum in RSE and couldn't get past the insane Min Ed website interface. But there's a difference between normalising homosexuality to five year olds and pushing young kids to think about their sexuality.

        2. 2.4.2.2

          Because most people is problematic – this led to the DSM describing homosexuality as abnormal (and related criminalisation and or required mental health treatment).

          1. 2.4.2.2.1

            I should have added that the conservative backlash is an American import (largely here via NZF – not a party to the self ID vote in parliament).

            There it was coming as part of their right wing Project 2025 Christian dominionism agenda, regardless of gender ideology.

          2. 2.4.2.2.2

            False equivalence and one that is promoted by current transgender activists. ie they promote their beliefs and situation as being the same as that of the LGB movement last century. They are coat-tailing on the success of the LGB movement.

            Many of us who are LGB disagree with them as current transactivist beliefs negate homosexuality. Homosexuality and heterosexuality are based on the sex binary, not on gender self ID.

            1. 2.4.2.2.2.1

              Improper use of false equivalence, ignoring the reference to most people to do so.

              Merely based on approval of one cause and not the other.

                1. 2.4.2.2.2.1.1.1

                  The history of it, is that same sex groups include those identifying as gender other than birth sex.

                  And years later, some "LGB" departed from the wider group.

                  In what way does gender identity different to birth sex threaten homosexuals?

            2. 2.4.2.2.2.2

              I note the claim that current transactivist beliefs negate homosexuality, I could note that some on the LGB side claim that Georgina Beyer was a homosexual male because they reject gender ideology.

              1. 2.4.2.2.2.2.1

                what? GB was transsexual woman, who was male. I have no idea what their sexual orientation was.

                How does that related to the idea that TRA beliefs negate homosexuality? It's a core position of TRAs.

                  1. 2.4.2.2.2.2.1.1.1

                    So you say.

                    I do, informed opinion that is easy enough to back up. Are you saying I am wrong? That others like Visub are wrong? Just come out and say it if you disagree, then you can make your argument and support it.

                  2. 2.4.2.2.2.2.1.1.2

                    if GB dated men, then by definition they were homosexual, or bisexual. If you say they are heterosexual, I suggest you start asking around het men how many of them would have sex with a trans woman.

                    If you argue that GB is heterosexual, then you a priori accept that a trans woman who sleeps with women is gay and lesbians should include them in their dating pool ie lesbians should sleep with men. This is exactly the problem. But go ahead and make the argument if you can.

                    1. 2.4.2.2.2.2.1.1.2.1

                      what? GB was transsexual woman, who was male. I have no idea what their sexual orientation was.

                      if GB dated men, then by definition they were homosexual, or bisexual.

                      So you can now confirm that you agreed with the poster who called them a homosexual on this site.

                      This is what happens when biological sex determines what the persons sexuality is then describes as.

                      No argument you make about that results in your claim that lesbians would then be obliged to place transgender women in their dating pool being valid. No more than woman should have to welcome or accept male date offers (or female) in wider society.

                      The matter of women's spaces being women's spaces in sports and otherwise would remain.

          3. 2.4.2.2.3

            Because most people is problematic – this led to the DSM describing homosexuality as abnormal (and related criminalisation and or required mental health treatment).

            Most people think slavery is wrong. Most people are ok with homosexuals. Most people believe women are humans and have rights.

            But even if you don't agree with that positioning, it's still true that most people are sex realist. Most people are supportive of trans people having human rights like other people, and to be free from discrimination. Where most people draw the line is accepting that trans people are biologically the opposite sex, have the right to call themselves homosexual and date within same sex relationships when they are het, that males should compete in women's sports and so on.

            1. 2.4.2.2.3.1

              Current point in time moral relativism. Now slavery, now homosexuals, now women's rights (depending on what place in the world by the way).

              Are not gender activists biological sex realist (puberty blockers, hormones and surgery for some)?

              The question is what human rights.

              You seem to object to the transgender being able to those have the right to call themselves homosexual and date within same sex relationships when they are heterosexual or competing in the women sports category.

              The second is determined by sporting bodies – in international sport that is going towards biological sex, in some domestic competitions there may be inclusion of those who transitioned before puberty).

              As to the former, is that the case? Or is that they simply identify as women and seek lesbian or bisexual woman partners but do not ascribe to themselves the term homosexual. The primary issue is their seeking access to exclusive women gathering places (online or in person).

        3. 2.4.2.3

          I understand that people have differing views about sex, gender and sexuality, and about how those subjects should be approached in schools.

          But as my daughter heads towards school, my own view is actually pretty simple: education should describe the human world she actually inhabits.

          That world contains gay people, straight people, bisexual people and trans people. It contains different kinds of families, relationships and identities. None of those things suddenly came into existence because somebody put them in a school curriculum.

          I don't want a school telling my daughter what her sexuality or identity should be. I'd be super pissy with any institution that did so. But I do want it to give her age-appropriate knowledge about the world and the people in it, and eventually the language and confidence to understand herself.

          I guess I just don't see knowledge of something's existence as encouraging it. We teach children about different religions without expecting them to adopt one. We teach them about different political beliefs without expecting them to become communists or conservatives. We teach them about racism and sexism without thereby encouraging either.

          Education necessarily exposes children to ideas, identities and ways of living beyond their immediate experience. That's rather the point.

          Gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans people exist. Different kinds of families exist. My daughter will encounter them because they're part of the society she lives in.

          Who she turns out to be is for her to discover.

          1. 2.4.2.3.1

            I guess I just don't see knowledge of something's existence as encouraging it.

            I think you are conflating two different things there. I certainly didn't say that

      3. 2.4.3

        The concept "woman who was assigned female at birth" is itself a manifestation of batshit-crazy queer theory. That's one reason I dislike repeating it.

        People are free to disagree about whether or not they want schoolteachers talking to primary-school children about adult sexual activity, but not being keen on it isn't a conservative position. I personally believe the current enthusiasm for it is very much a result of queer theory.

        1. 2.4.3.1

          homosexuality has a social aspect in addition to a sex aspect. Kids with two lesbian mums for instance, is a social issue not an issue of who is having sex with who. eg kids need to know that not everyone has a mum and a dad at home, some kids have two mums. And that this is normal (in the sense of ok).

          1. 2.4.3.1.1

            Kids these days learn early on that the number of parents can vary from one to at least three (eg mother, birth father, stepfather, mother plus grandparents etc). It's hard to imagine two of the same sex being so much of a stretch for them that it needs to be in the curriculum.

                    2. 2.4.3.1.1.1.1.1.1.2

                      Sure.

                      There was objection to a proposed change and the 2023 coalition have determined on a minimalist approach.

                      Teachers will do the "read" of the classroom in front & manage "relevance".

                      In year 8 there is reference to Draft curriculum content

                      Schools are not required to implement the refreshed curriculum content until the learning area is finalised.

                      In Year 8, your child will learn about the changes that come with puberty and how to manage them with self-care skills like self-regulation, good hygiene and nutrition and avoiding harmful substances. They will build communication and critical thinking skills to support healthy, safe relationships and will be introduced to the topics of sex education and sexual health.

                      Some detail is given down the page.

                      https://www.education.govt.nz/parents-and-caregivers/schools-year-0-13/parent-portal/guide-for-the-new-zealand-curriculum-years-0-to-8/year-8-new-zealand-curriculum/health-and-physical-education-in-year-8

            2. 2.4.3.1.1.2

              It's hard to imagine two of the same sex being so much of a stretch for them that it needs to be in the curriculum.

              I'll fix that for you.

              It's hard to imagine two of the same sex being so much of a stretch for them that there is any problem including this as well (and sole parent families) in the curriculum.

              1. 2.4.3.1.1.2.1

                There's not much point sending kids to school to learn things that are obvious features of their everyday lives. If that's what's happening, our slide down the PISA rankings is explained.

                1. 2.4.3.1.1.2.1.1

                  Conflating that extra reference in connection to families (as per varying types of households which is part of social studies), with the PISA ratings is very illogical.

                  And that you are now jumping to excuse after excuse to rationalise an opinion, merely indicates the lack of reasoning behind it.

                  1. 2.4.3.1.1.2.1.1.1

                    What? I answered "No" to a question of whether primary schools should teach children about sexual orientation. I don't have to "rationalise" that opinion, it's an opinion. I am entirely happy to rationalise my original claim that wanting to teach sexual orientation to primary school children is a product of "batshit-crazy queer-theory lunacy," however the question's since been watered down by successive comments to something about teaching kids about different kinds of families, which strikes me as pointless but is a long way from what the question actually asked. If you're prefer to return to that question, feel free.

        1. 2.5.1.1

          I reckon us Lefties should distract ourselves with arguing about gender issues close to the election; that would be EXCELLENT!

            1. 2.5.1.1.1.1

              Ah yes, the good old "imported." If I import nutcase postmodernist academic theories wholesale from US universities, that's just "progress," but if you dispute the nutcase postmodernist theories, that's "an imported culture war." Spare me your disdain.

              1. 2.5.1.1.1.1.1

                You are setting the tone with the contempt streaming off your comments, starting at the beginning of this thread @ 2. Spare us your straw men.

          2. 2.5.1.1.2

            I wondered what was up when I logged in and saw that there were 40 comments already (!!) in OM, which is highly unusual. Perhaps Luxon finally got Penked or Shane Jones had suggested that Winston Peters should retire or something like that.

              2. 2.5.1.1.2.1.2

                Winsomely Winston.

                The man who nearly cut off his horses head not far from the Khyber Pass, who boarded a train without a ticket in South Africa, was Lord of Admiralty planning the Gallipoli disaster. Then the PM sending ships to secure Singapore.

                As they say old age is a shipwreck.

          3. 2.5.1.1.3

            "I reckon us Lefties should distract ourselves with arguing about gender issues close to the election…"

            Distract ourselves from what? You go to a polling place, get issued a voting paper, put a couple of ticks on it and drop it in a box. What you might or might not have argued about on a blog site weeks beforehand is irrelevant.

      2. 2.5.2

        But it's a lot more than that. Useful info about how other people vote and why, which is pretty much what an election campaign is.

        See the responses (so far) on the environment, mining, etc. The government is way out of step even with those who support other rightwing policies.

    6. 2.6

      The compass includes a weighting option, which helps to clarify our vote.

      There may be people who think the NZF position on gender, for a bill that wasn't important enough to the government to become law inside 3 years, is far more important than NZF voting for the scrapping of pay equity, a move which has already happened and caused very real pain for thousands of women in their daily lives. (I've never met any such people though).

      But the weighting lets us pick our priorities. So we can decide if (e.g.) having a properly funded health system matters a lot more than the hot-button issues which – as this thread demonstrates – get people worked up while the Right just carry on doing what they want.

    7. 2.7

      In the correct quadrant, at least, as was to be expected.

      That despite some neutral and somewhat more answers – given the lack of definition/nuance in the questioning and taking due care in the answering.

  3. 3

    Follow the money – it's all that really matters to our CEO.

    Formal complaint that NZ climate backsliding breaches Europe trade deal [Newsroom, 30 Sept 2026]
    Updated: The Government’s former top law officer warned that if ministers blocked Mike Smith’s Fonterra lawsuit, the next case would target the Crown directly. She’s been proven right.
    After documenting attempts to persuade the Government to take climate action by more traditional means, the complainants are now seeking to hit the Government where it hurts – in its revenues.
    [comments]
    “It is not for overseas countries, organisations or lobby groups to tell New Zealand how to meet its obligations.” [- Minister McClay]
    Looks as though the sands of time are shifting, and the once highly vaunted notion of ever-expanding profits is drifting away. Our coalition ministers haven’t noticed the change and statements like the one quoted above simply serve to point this out. They have no intention of meeting our obligations, their intention is to ensure corporate capital does not come up against another crisis of profitability. That way they’re ensuring their own survival in the big boys league.
    >>>
    Minister McClay seems so used to a government that tips the playing field to suit its own self interest that he can’t comprehend the idea of playing on a level field. I welcome Both ENDS’ formal complaint against New Zealand and, especially, it being lodged in an arena where our manipulative administration can’t change the rules to suit itself.


    Sharon Murdoch, in The Post, 4 October 2026

    3. 3.3

      Luxon won't get anywhere with a hammer trying to form climate policies. It is obvious that they are on a beach where they will need a big stick to write the plans and policies in the firm sand between tides then take a photo for history and the files – OIA? That requires timely action and co-ordination. Luxon and his ill ilk will never succeed. The tide of life is flowing and carrying him away. (Quickly or there will be nothing left for us or of us. As in Kaikoura cliff scene from 2016.)

      https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/46857/famous-cows

      One of the most famous images from the Kaikōura earthquake was of cows stranded on a tiny patch of grass in the middle of a landslide on a Clarence farm. They were rescued by their owner and their plight was later turned into a children’s book (Moo and Moo and the Little Calf too).

      Will our new owners come and rescue us? Better get moooo-ving ourselves.

      1. 3.3.1

        Now that we have dealt thoroughly with our favourite subject 'Sex', I wonder if it would be possible to think of this idea – use a Jewish idea from Pre-WW2 for Palestinian children under threat of annihilation? Just asking people to be humane and not repeat something that was horrific is not having effect. The Jewish people can act yo assist to enable us to show some of our vaunted moral and ethical values. The Jewish state will not of course prevent humanitarian groups from being attacked as they visit, travel in the country and allow safe passage out with the children promised homes. And no stray drones or such will cause any injury or upset to the program. How about it Jews?

        Advertisements were put in daily newpapers seeking care for Jewish boys and girls who were still of school age but able to manage away from parents. A book was written by a descendant :

        Fishpond.co.nz https://www.fishpond.co.nz › Books › I-Seek-Kind-Person-Borger-Julian › 9781399806732

        I Seek a Kind Person, JulianBorger – Shop Online for Books in New Zealand

        Eighty-three years later, Guardian journalist Julian Borger comes across the advert that saved his father, Robert, from the Nazis. Robert had kept this a secret, like almost everything else about his traumatic Viennese childhood, …

        ***

        The Friend https://thefriend.org › article › i-seek-a-kind-person-by-julian-borger

        I Seek a Kind Person by Julian Borger – The Friend

        The title of this new book is the first line of an advertisement that was placed in the tuition column of The Manchester Guardian in August 1938, by Leo and Erna Borger….

        1. 3.3.1.1

          Negatives and positives – I meant that the Jewish State would not harm or cause damage to humanitarian people going to Palestine to pick up children to transport to a safe haven, either coming, in the place, or on leaving, or later. They must and would not for their souls' sake.

          1. 3.3.1.1.1

            In 2023, 44% of Gaza was aged 14 and under in a population of ~2mi. That's 880,000 children to evacuate from Gaza alone. More than 20,000 were killed and 44,000 injured by Sept 2025, around 8%, according to UNICEF. A year ago, 4,000 were amputees, after a year of Israeli bombings and targetted shootings. The numbers will be higher again, after another year.

            'Calling the current ceasefire a "cruel and deadly illusion," UNICEF spokesperson James Elder lamented the deaths of hundreds more children in a June 19, 2026 statement.

            "Let us be clear about what this means," Elder said. "These children were not killed in a war zone. They were killed in their homes. In their schools. Playing football. Fishing." '

            1. 3.3.1.1.1.1

              The IDF has no problems with their souls, as it has delibetately targetted and killed foreign humanitarian workers , eg World Kitchen staff. even worse, the convoy was cruelly triple-tapped, picking off one vehicle, then again when others came to their aid.

              '…glossed over the role played in the killings by a common IDF practice used to designate targets, which endangers aid workers and civilians in general'.

              And children. UK surgeons volunteering in Gaza reported to the UK government wounds on children that they would normally only see on military personnel in war zones.

              Using ai help in targetting from Palantir systems, and from Israel supporter Oracle, the IDF have identified and assassonated medical personnel, journalists, renowned artists and filmakers, teachers and professors.

              There is a reason international genocide scholars label the Israeli State attacks on Palestinians a genocide.

  4. 4

    standard4 theme – v1.0.18

    • Fixes to font sizes in sidebar tabs
    • added block/widgets for blogroll tabs – requires blogroll-folders.
    • new plugins blogroll-folders, rss-admin, and the rss-service that I'm still working on.

    Getting closer to getting the right-hand feed sections back and running. The PHP plugin I was using was getting upgraded and kind of expensive and messy. It was also heavy on resources in the mysql and processing times.

    Just have XSS safe excerpts and extracting images to display thumbnails to finish.

    For those who're interested, I wrote the primary replacement as a service

    • mechanics of the RSS/Atom pickups and storage to a c++ application running as a systemd service.
    • it is highly threaded using libuv for the event handling via a c++ wrapper for the RAII.
    • Running internally with custom processing variadic template queues to get union effects.
    • Running internally with a custom low impact task manager.
    • Pickup uses lib curl cpp wrapper to get the RAII.
    • Parsing lib xerces and xalan c++ wrappers for the RAII. Uses XLST to parse and validate the incoming raw data.
    • Persistence is with a ORM over sqlite. So single app access.
    • Has local only gRPC and REST interfaces as plugins.
    • Has a plugin with forward and reverse ssh tunnels in case I had to use it to remote the service from the webserver in different machines or containers.
    • Plugin for authorisation to limit access for individual web servers.

    Wrote a wordpress admin plugin that uses a vue SPA for multisite management. This still needs to be plugged into redis to webserver object caching.

    A separate wordpress feeder-folder plugin for managing the feed folders and redis web server object caching.

    Addition of widget blocks to the standard4 theme to display this.

    Totally over-engineered, but a excellent way to build general purpose libraries. Also to test the limits of AI programming and analysis on greenfield code.

    I just did some soak testing for memory leakage in the service and on the redis object caching side as well as garbage handling from a large selection of RSS and Atom sources. That was very successful at identifying some quirks in how some sites interpret the RSS and Atom standards, some of which I've handled in the XLST, others I reject.

    Memory rose and then fell in both the service application and in the redis based on the usage patterns. Two startup small heap leaks in the xerces library.

    This has been fun for the last few months getting to know the LLMs and agents, as well as assessing some open source RAII wrappers over traditional c libraries. Nearly done now.

    1. 4.1

      lprent. Interested ..yes. (As in, I both like, and can appreciate tech…whilst not being at any developer level : )

      Cheers for what you do.

      1. 4.2.1

        As a coding tool it is great. It allows you to dig into old code-bases (especially multi-language ones) and find your choices for where to do changes. Pretty good for prototyping, especially when using new libraries, frameworks, and languages.

        About 20 years ago I started using slickedit for an IDE. It knew most languages, could show syntax, syntax errors, had a superb system for doing languages aware finds for definition and usages of variables, member and classes.. It was also platform independent and able to be tailored to a lot of make and build systems.

        It was an immense productivity improvement, especially if you moved between projects, type of code, many languages and libraries…. AI is like that – a useful tool.

        I used slickedit for windows, linux, OSX…. Gui code, server code, embedded code, whatever. Way better for the kind of cross-platform, multi-language, multi-scale development that I do than any of the more restricted IDEs. I seldom worked on the organisation provided toolkist for work. I did everything on my own versatile toolkit.

        Many IDEs have since belatedly caught up. I now use Jetbrains range of IDEs and wish they'd get it so I can build c++, javascript, vue, PHP all in a single IDE (and under cmake – but that is a different issue). But that is the first real replacement I have found my my 20+ years of slickedit. Mostly because it is fully aware of how to set up docker testing systems and how to link them together in temporary test configurations.

        One of the other reasons for switching was that I'm finding AI is very useful as a coding and maintenance tool. And Jetrbrains has a pretty good system largely linked into the IDE. Not perfect by any stretch of imagination regardless of what LLM and agent system I'm currently using. And it is often as thick as a plank on why you'd want do something, generally excessively interested in flattery, and has a strong tendency to just overlook requirements or potential pitfalls.

        But it is way easier than training junior programmers or doing it myself on doing things like writing a prototype, examining a library for utility, digging through code to find out where in the hell this screen is coded and where the data comes from and how. I just have to check the plan, check the code, and pick up the errors for routine coding.

        I generally have to provide starters for structure or framework for code that is quite specific to a task and are not 'normal'. For instance fixed size queues thread safe running variant data structures and a std::visit. The AI could develop and use that once I framed the idea. But made a total botch of it from a description.

        On the other hand, I’m using AI to train me in vue. I tell it what I need on screens, it writes it. I read it, suggest changes and see what it does. Now I can hand code vue.

        You also need to train it about style. It is way better at producing readable code than it was 2-3 years ago. But still makes it hard to read sometimes.

        I'd rate coding AI as a big productivity boost iff (if and only if) you have already previously face planted a few times and can tell that something isn't working or isn't going to work for the task.

    3. 4.3

      What ORM did you use over SQLite?

      I guess with this use case you won't have the usual ORM problem where it doesn't necessarily produce the most optimal SQL 😆

      As a junior dev, I once nuked our reporting replica with EF and .NET Core 3.0.

      1. 4.3.1

        Sqlite ORM. Started playing with that last year along with several others. Mostly thinking about embedded processors then. In effect that is what this application is. Only dependency is libsqlite3. I'm using it as AGPL because I'll be pushing this general solution to open source.

        I find the SQLite syntax a bit quirky so wrapping it in something that mapped directly to structs and std templates is useful. In this case I coded very simple where clauses. Optimisation isn't really an issue. I just wanted a persistence engine that was safe and well understood. Also one that could run in-memory for unit-tests.

        I needed it to be strongly struct orientated because I was doing several levels of transfer and wanted to get rid of coding translations. So I built the structs in protobuf, generated them for gRPC, Json (for the Drogon REST interface), and wrote a generators to standard c++ structures, plus the translators.

        I mostly work on MySQL, SQL Server (I started on SyBase), and occasional Postgres. In the past I've used Oracle, and at least dozen other SQL dialects. Plus various other relational embedded databases. Occasionally built the latter for specific type of operations, mostly for simulation work.

        As a junior dev, I once nuked our reporting replica with EF and .NET Core 3.0.

        After recent maintenance work in c# and .net core 6.0 on a largish mature system (that needs some refactoring and upgrades), I'm developing a really strong aversion to the opaqueness of entity framework. Also to the permanently out of date microsoft documentation.

    1. 5.1

      "Lucky"

      Is that what you see?

      This is media gold.

      We told you so!

      People love to hear that 🙂

      That Green-aligned driver though – ballsy-as! /sarc

      The train-driver, a Green also, on the horn for change!

  6. 6

    A long but very good editorial piece by The Spinoff on (mostly) Luxon and the National Party and their many failings, despite it being balanced, objective, and impartial.

    https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/05-10-2026/christopher-luxon-dead-man-walking-or-nat-with-nine-lives

    For example:

    “What they [National] promised coming into government [in 2023] has not been acted on at all. So… the party is now forced to talk about things that no one wants to talk about, which is tax, because there's no communist under the bed or bogey under the bed with tax, but they're trying to create one because that's all they can talk about. They haven't got a record to talk about.” [former National Party chief press secretary Janet Wilson]

    Indeed! Nicola Willis was giving a press conference on Sunday (yesterday) within one hour of Labour releasing its long-awaited fiscal policy. It was pathetic – if only she would put as much effort into sorting out her own [not her personal] affairs, we [many New Zealanders] wouldn’t be in such a shambles as we are now. FFS, the Coalition is a master of manipulation and diversion but they seem to be following their own trail and have fallen prey to their own diversions and traps (aka smoking your own dope).

  7. 7

    Simeon Brown and National have been caught out again for lying and showering us with BS.

    National has removed the “no new taxes” mantra from an online ad after a polling company wrote to the party saying the claim did not accurately reflect its survey on how people feel about the tax they pay.

    https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/04-10-2026/ipsos-urges-national-to-remove-inaccurate-claim-about-its-polling-on-tax

    As a sharp commenter points out, even the correction still is twisting the truth. Typical Simeon & National.

  8. 8

    And in Brazil, Lula got into the runff but Bolsonaro was 2% ahead, and gives him real mometum going into the runoff.

    Doesn't auguer well for the final Presidential result.

      1. 9.1.1

        "Luxon, you are my brother and I love you dearly. But don't ever say you won't form a coalition with the Opportunity Party again"

  10. 10

    The secret diary of .. the campaign: Week 1 [Newsroom, 3 Oct 2026]

    NEW ZEALAND FIRST

    New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has kicked off the party’s 2026 campaign with a call to abolish Māori from retirement villages.

    “They can be very annoying,” he said at the Golden Showers retirement village in Mosgiel. “When you are old and close to death, it’s not very nice to think the last thing you see might be a Māori.”

    Will the 'scribbles' references never end?

    https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2025/06/08/scribbles-a-throwaway-comment-or-a-symptom-of-internalised-racism/

  12. 12

    Santana Bendigo in Central Otago are about to get a $3m bill from the government just for processing the application to date.

    https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/10/02/record-costs-blow-out-as-giant-central-otago-goldmine-fast-track-stalls-again/

    Santana must surely be thinking it would have been easier to have a properly prepared application in the first place and go through the RMA pathway not Fast Track.

    Expect a lengthy pause while Santana figure out their 6th major requesr for more detailed information.

    So predictable.

    I'm feeling optimistic after the Bathurest refusal.

  13. 13

    Chris Hipkins stands his ground in this brief RNZ Mediawatch excerpt of Mike Hosking's recent interview (18 minutes in), despite Hosking repeating National's lies about Labour's policy costings. The clip then includes Hosking's venomous comments about Hipkins prior to the interview.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/mediawatch 04.10.26

    Previously Mediawatch occasionally broadcast soundbites of Kate Hawkesby's vitriolic attacks on Jacinda Ardern. Hosking's and Hawkesby's malicious misrepresentations reflect their resentment, apparent jealousy, and determination to distort fact under the guise of opinion.

    RNZ is regaining audience numbers, likely due to presentation of fact and informative interviews/programmes.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/1115877/rnz-tops-trust-survey-lifts-radio-and-digital-audiences

    "Larger audiences across radio and digital platforms have combined with stronger trust in RNZ than other outlets, new data suggest…

    The audience growth has come at the same time as RNZ consolidates its position as the most-trusted news source for New Zealanders…"

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